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Columnist begins 47th year at Tribune
Nell Dikeman began her 47th year as a Fort Scott Tribune reporter and columnist Tuesday and she doesn't show any signs of slowing down any time soon.
Her first day at the Tribune was Dec. 1, 1963. And she decided to look for work for one reason to which many modern-day readers can relate.
She wanted to get health insurance.
"People didn't think about health insurance too much back then because things didn't cost so much," Dikeman said Tuesday as she was in writing a future "Memories Spring Eternal" column, which is a look back at Tribune stories from 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago that appears each Tuesday through Friday on the Tribune's Editorial/Opinion page.
For many years, Dikeman was the Society Editor. When there was a wedding or anniversary, a social gathering or school play, she was the one who told Fort Scott and Bourbon County all about it.
She had just returned from a trip to Texas with her family when then-publisher Watson Marble called her to invite her up to the old Tribune building at 6 E. Wall for an interview.
"Before I left, he said 'I had 57 responses (to the want ad for the position), but would you come work for us?'" Dikeman said.
When she heard about the position, she had to borrow a typewriter so she could submit material. She didn't have a lot of work experience when she applied.
"I hadn't worked since I'd been married," Dikeman said. "And the last Society Editor had been here for years and years and they wanted someone permanent."
The Tribune isn't sure if "Memories Spring Eternal" is the most-read feature of this newspaper. But it's certainly the one with the most loyal and responsive readers. Items in the column bring about memories from readers who them share them with Nell. Some of these memories become an item in another column.
For instance, "Memories Spring Eternal" columns last week featured clippings from 1909 about the "Has-beens" football team, an early squad of adult football players who took on teams from other towns, and their Thanksgiving-week game against a team from Hepler.
Tuesday, Dikeman received a photograph of that team, brought in by a reader who saw those columns. The players don't appear to be wearing shoulder pads and the ball is shaped more like a basketball than a modern football.
In this day and age, it's thought a newspaper needs an online presence in order to interact with its readers.
Maybe all they need is someone like Nell.